Dramatic footage shows ‘flares’ on champagne bottles catching fire on the bar’s ceiling

40 people killed and 119 others injured in blaze that tore through a popular Alpine bar as revellers rang in the New Year

Russian authorities say a Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian-occupied village in Kherson killed 27 people

While the cause of the disaster is still under investigation, videos and photos suggest the blaze spread quickly

Switzerland is reeling from one of its worst tragedies after a fire ripped through an Alpine bar during a New Year’s Eve celebration, leaving more than 40 people dead and dozens of others with serious burn injuries.

The prosecutor in charge of the case said on Friday that initial investigations suggested the most likely cause of the fire was sparkling flares being carried too close to the ceiling.

Artist’s daughter Marguerite features in most of the pieces, kept in the family until ‘complete surprise’ donation

The Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris has received an “extraordinarily generous” donation of 61 works by Henri Matisse that have been kept in the artist’s family.

Most of the donated art – which includes paintings, drawings, etchings, lithographs and a sculpture – features the painter’s daughter Marguerite.

When I started as a reporter in Paris in the 1970s, long, boozy lunches were the norm. Now only fast food and fine dining are thriving

Spare a thought for the poor French restaurateur. Once the iconic image of a sybaritic nation that loved nothing more than a boozy meal out with friends or colleagues, the French restaurant is in deep crisis. Traditional restaurants are closing faster than you can shout “garçon!”, as eating habits change and the cost of living pinches.

“It’s a catastrophe for our profession,” Franck Chaumès, president of the restaurant branch of the Union of Hospitality Trades and Industries (UMIH) said in a television interview recently. “Some 25 restaurants are going out of business every day.” The UMIH has demanded – so far in vain – that the government ration the opening of new restaurants, in proportion to the local population, and license only professionals who are qualified in cooking and accounting.

Paul Taylor is a senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Centre

Swiss Police have confirmed around 40 people have died after a fire ripped through a bar in a popular Swiss ski resort